Obama: I will come back to Forbidden City

BEIJING, Nov.17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said he would return to China and revisit the Palace Museum, or the Forbidden City, during his tour on Tuesday as part of his four-daytrip to China.

"It's beautiful. It's a magnificent place to visit. I will comeback with my girls and my wife," Obama told a Xinhua correspondent before leaving the museum through the northern Gate of Divine Prowess (Shenwu Men).

The Forbidden City, the former residence of China's imperial families during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, is a national landmark.

Accompanied by museum curator Zheng Xinmiao, Obama entered the museum from its main entrance in the south, the Meridian Gate (Wu Men) and walked along the museum's central axis, also the axial line of the city, from south to north, about 960 meters, in roughly 45 minutes.

Tuesday was a sunny, but a windy, cold day in Beijing. Patches of snow still lingered on the roofs of some buildings and the ground. Obama wore a blue shirt with no tie and a casual leather jacket.

"Very good! Spectacular!" he exclaimed in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihe Dian), in front of dozens of journalists and photographers. He also posed for photos on the square in front of the hall.

U.S. President Barack Obama said he would return to China and revisit the Palace Museum, or the Forbidden City, during his tour on Tuesday as part of his four- daytrip to China.